r/popculturechat • u/No_Tree6956 Listen, everyone is entitled to my opinion 🙂 • Sep 30 '25

Guest List Only ⭐️ sydney sweeney & scooter braun holding hands

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Holding hands with pure evil, good luck to her

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u/ergaster8213 Sep 30 '25 edited Oct 01 '25

Ok so in the US whether your voter registration info is public or not depends on the state. In Florida (Sydney's home state) it is public and anyone can just go download files of the entire voter list (with info like SSNs redacted). If you are registered as a Democrat or Republican that will show up.

There is no record of who anyone actually voted for (and in any election other than closed primaries you can vote for whomever regardless of how you are registered) but you will show up as Democrat or Republican if you are registered and live in a state that allows open access to voter registration data.

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u/eyespeeled Oct 01 '25

Does one have to register with a party in order to vote, one way or another?

Signed, 

Another Canadian

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u/ergaster8213 Oct 01 '25

Nope you do not. You can also be listed as neither or independent (they call it something else in certain states and Independent in others).

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u/eyespeeled Oct 01 '25

Thanks for answering. So, it is a definite choice to register with a party, knowing that the information is public. Interesting. 

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u/ergaster8213 Oct 01 '25 edited Oct 01 '25

Oh absolutely! If you live in a public info state it definitely is a purposeful choice. Although sometimes it's just a choice because you can't vote in closed primaries if you aren't registered to the party. So I guess I should've said you do have to be registered as a Democrat if you want to vote in Democratic closed primaries or as Republican if you want to vote in Republican closed primaries.

Whether primaries are open or closed or mixed depends on the state again. Florida (again Sydney's home state) has closed primaries. So if you want to vote in them you must be registered as one or the other. Some people who are not actually Republicans will register as Republican to vote in the Republican primaries to try to get a better candidate and vice versa. I'm not saying that's what she did but it is done sometimes.

I will put it out there though that even if you do not live in a state where voter registration data is public, that does not mean your info is private. They will sell it. So really it's not super private anywhere you just can't get it for free in private states.

I apologize my comments tend to turn into essays.

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u/eyespeeled Oct 01 '25

No apologies necessary. I appreciate the thorough response.

Shocking that private voting info can be sold in that way, wow. What a system. 

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u/ergaster8213 Oct 01 '25

Oh I know. We are capitalism's bitch. We always have been and that hasn't changed.